2nd International Workshop on the Application of Fluid Mechanics to Disaster
Reduction ： Cyclone (hurricane/typhoon/extra-tropical) modeling and damage
assessment ( 2 0 1 5 / 3 1 6 - 1 7 )Theme：Storm surge, waves, tsunami
Location：Sendai Civil Auditorium and bus field trip along the Miyagi coast
URL: http://hydraulic.lab.irides.tohoku.ac.jp/app-def/S-102/2014/?page_id=268
On March 16, 2015, IRIDeS staff Jeremy D. Bricker and Volker Roeber (Hazard and Risk Evaluation
Research Division) convened 22 researchers and practitioners from Japan, the US, theNetherlands, France, and Australia for a series of presentations and dialogue on 4 major topics:
1. Infrastructure, buildings, and damage due to cyclones,
2. Modeling and measurement of Typhoon Haiyan’s storm surge and waves
3. Development and application of storm surge and wave models, and
4. State of the art in hydraulic and coastal engineering.
In addition to the presenters, about 30 others attended the workshop, representing China, Thailand,
the UK, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Dubai. Applications of storm surge models in the US, thePhilippines, Japan, and Taiwan were presented. Europe, the Americas, and Japan each use
different models for weather forecast and reanalysis, so the necessity to compare results of thesedifferent models and the effect of differences on storm surge and wave prediction and hindcast
came to light. The need for phase-averaged vs. phase-resolving wave models to simulate storm
surge and wave phenomena striking cities near coral reefs and wetlands during typhoons andhurricanes were debated, applied to the recent examples of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines andHurricane Sandy in the US. The study of tidal bores, which occur regularly and are thus easier tomeasure than unpredictable tsunamis or hurricanes, was discussed as a way to better understandthe physics of destructive bores and plan countermeasures to such events. The tradeoffs between
2-D and 3-D models were also debated, including bottom stress parameterization, run time, anddispersion. Participants discussed methods to predict, survey, and mitigate hurricane damage tobuildings, infrastructure, and utilities. Furthermore, sediment deposits were presented as a proxyfor investigating prehistoric storm surge inundation extent, but also as a source of turbidity whenentrained into terrestrial rivers.
During the March 17 field trip to the Miyagi coast, our engineers joined Prof. Iuchi’s urban
planning team to investigate the progress of reconstruction 4 years after the tsunami. Some ofthe participants had been on the initial JSCE survey team immediately after the event, and havecome back regularly to observe the progress of cleanup and reconstruction. The first year had
been characterized by debris removal, the second year by a period of waiting while planning wasunderway, the third year by the beginnings of earth movement, and this fourth year by full-scaleterracing and levelling of hills, elevation and infill of flats, embankment and floodwall construction,and movement of people into new permanent public housing. Folks who hadn’t been to thesesites in a year were moved by the drastic changes in landscape they observed. The photos below
show a reconstruction observation mound in Kesennuma (left) and a newly constructed evacuation
facility near Sendai Port (right).

Prepared by: Jeremy D. Bricker (Hazard and Risk Evaluation Research Division)